


lights will guide you home

by lucasashtons



Series: Song Lyric Soulmates [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M, i'm really proud of this, soulmate!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 14:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2391887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucasashtons/pseuds/lucasashtons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was seriously going to smack his soul mate. Not only were his new lyrics romantic and lovey, they were to a song that Calum couldn’t stand. Mali had been playing it over and over the past few weeks and he couldn’t stand it. He didn’t like how much she over played it, he didn’t like the song at all. (He would say it was too slow for his tastes, but his favorite song was slow so he would be a hypocrite)</p><p>or Calum isn't really sure what to think of the whole soulmates thing but he's warming up to it</p>
            </blockquote>





	lights will guide you home

**Author's Note:**

> so this is the sequel to my lashton story ‘a smile on your face, we’ll count only our stars’, which received more attention than I expected it would! There wasn’t a whole lot of malum in it, so I wanted to bring that side of the story to life because there is not enough malum soulmate fic.

When Calum turned ten years old, his lyrics appeared for the first time. He remembers his mother’s teary smile as she noticed the chicken scratch writing on her son’s arm, taking a picture with her camera at the sight of it. His dad gave him a smile and said, “Congrats,” and Mali-Koa, who had already had her soul mate tattoo for a good five years ago, was telling him how amazing it is to have the tattoo lead you to the one person you were meant to be with. After all, she had met hers when she was twelve, making the search easy.

The first time the lyrics appeared, the song was something Cal had never heard before.

_tired of being what you want me to be_

His parents didn’t recognize it either, and then one day the song came onto the radio and Calum found himself really enjoying it. Heck, he even thought it could be  _his_ favorite song. 

That was, until, he heard a song playing from his sister’s room one night when he was eleven. It was slow, beautiful, and Calum couldn’t help but fall in love with the lyrics he heard as they bled through his bedroom wall. As soon as the song was over, he got up from his bed and walked to Mali’s room.

"What?" she called over a loud pop song. 

"Play it again!" Calum called back, and Mali opened the door to look at him. "Play that last song again please?"

Mali smiled and walked over to her stereo, putting the song back on. “You like Coldplay?”

Calum nodded and began to sway to the song again. After listening to it once more, he went to bed knowing in his heard that the song he heard was mostly definitely his favorite. He fell asleep to the lyric  _lights will guide you home_ repeating itself over and over again in his head. 

Now he was twelve years old and it was nearing Halloween when the lyrics on his arm changed for the first time. It was a small stinging pain to his arm and he hissed as he felt the lyrics change. He looked down at his arm and saw the brand new lyrics. 

_I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you_

He was seriously going to smack his soul mate. Not only were his new lyrics romantic and lovey, they were to a song that Calum couldn’t  _stand._ Mali had been playing it over and over the past few weeks and he couldn’t stand it. He didn’t like how much she over played it, he didn’t like the song at all. (He would say it was too slow for his tastes, but his favorite song was slow so he would be a hypocrite)

"Cal it’s so sweet!" Mali insisted of his lyrics. "Maybe she’s a very sweet girl!"

That’s another thing that was starting to become a problem. Calum wasn’t so sure he wanted his soul mate to be a girl. Not that it would be a problem if they were, he didn’t think girls were bad, but for a while he was starting to wonder what would happen is his soul mate was a boy.

He got his answer a few years later at age sixteen, when on the first day of music class there was a new kid named Michael Clifford. Calum was immediately taken aback not only by the kid’s looks but by  _his hair._

"Hi," Calum said to the boy as he sat down next to him in the back of the room. "I’m Calum."

"Hey," Michael replied before noticing Calum’s eyes wandering towards his hair. "Yeah, I like to dye my hair different colors. I don’t think I should just limit myself to the natural hair colors, you know?" He runs a hand through his bright red hair. "Mom says I’ll be bald by the time I’m eighteen because I dye it too much."

Calum laughs. “I like it. Green is a really nice color on you.”

Michael blushes before the teacher diverts his attention away, asking him to help reach some guitar strings on some shelf. Michael nodded before reaching behind him where the shelf was, stretching himself to reach the box. Calum noticed lyrics running across Michael’s hip and actually had to bite his lip just to stop him from making his approval of said tattoo known. 

Once Michael was in his seat, he noticed Calum’s dazed look and chuckled. “You alright there?”

Calum nods. “Just um, it’s nothing never mind.” He picks up the guitar sitting next to him and begins tuning it, trying to distract himself to something,  _anything_ but Michael’s hip tattoo. 

Michael shrugs and watches Calum play for a bit before noticing Calum’s own tattoo. “Hey, what’s your soul mate’s favorite song?”

Calum looked up at the boy and inwardly groaned. “That one song by Leona Lewis, about bleeding love or some shit.” He notices how Michael’s face falls a bit and tries to re word what he said. For some reason seeing Michael’s face show sadness was like a punch in the stomach. “Sorry if you like that song, it’s just that my sister plays it so much it’s almost annoying.”

Michael nods. “It’s okay, I’m used to people disrespecting it. I get teased a lot for admitting it’s my favorite song so I usually tend to keep it to myself.” He gives Calum a smile. “You don’t seem like the person to judge me though.”

Calum returns the smile before letting Michael’s words dawn on him.  _it’s my favorite song._

_maybe….._

"What, uh," how was he going to ask this? "Favorite lyric? From that song?"

Michael gives him a strange look before answering, “ _I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you.”_

Calum wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do now. His insides were currently on fire, his heart beating faster then he ever expected it to. This is what having a soul mate felt like, and it was such a strange but endearing feeling. Calum wasn’t sure if he ever wanted it to end. He shoves his sleeve up further, his tattoo fully exposed for Michael to see and Calum hears a sharp intake of breath beside him. 

"Please tell me your favorite song is ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay," Michael says, his face is a little pink and Calum feels his heart beating louder in his chest. All he can do is nod and Michael’s face just bursts with happiness and  _love._

"Come with me after class," Michael whispers to him as  everyone starts packing up their things to leave. "I want to show you my soul mate tattoo."

"O-okay," Calum replies before gathering his things and taking Michael’s out stretched hand and his heart is now thudding a little quieter, almost as if Michael’s touch was the most calming thing in the world. He follows the boy outside to the bleachers by the soccer field, where they finally rest underneath them. Michael lifts his shirt up a little, showing the hip tattoo again and Calum feels himself on the verge of a panic attack when he reads the writing. 

_lights will guide you home_

He reaches out and glides his fingers across the tattoo gently, Michael shivering at his touch. “Sorry,” Calum whispers before getting up and reaching eye level with the boy. “You’re my soul mate. I-I’ve met my soul mate.”

Michael laughs. “And I met mine.” he reaches out and takes Calum’s hands in his. “I know we just met and everything, but I really want to kiss you right now.”

Calum blushes a little at Michael’s words but finds himself bold enough to say. “I won’t stop you.”

That’s how Calum got his first kiss; underneath the dirty, disgusting soccer bleachers, but it was with his soul mate, and for that, it became one of his favorite places on Earth. 


End file.
